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National University Ranks First in California, 3rd in U.S. in Granting Master's Degrees to Hispanics

San Diego, Calif. – National University ranks first in California and third in the nation in granting master's degrees to Hispanics, according to Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education's annual "Top 100 Schools" report, published today. It ranks first among California colleges and universities in that category for the fifth consecutive year.

In the United States, National University outperformed all but two U.S. universities, Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University, conferring a total of 402 master's degrees to Hispanics during the 2001-2002 academic year, the latest year for which the National Center for Education Statistics possesses assessable data. That is 70 more graduates than National University produced in the previous measurable year, and represents an annual increase of 21 percent.

Statewide, the number of master's degrees granted by National University to Hispanics surpasses second-ranked CSU Los Angeles by 162. University of Southern California ranks third in California, having granted 206 master's degrees to Hispanics during the same period.

U.S. Census Bureau statistics reveal that approximately one third of all U.S. Hispanics reside in California, where their ranks have grown by 43 percent to more than 11 million people since 1990.

The Hispanic Outlook's annual "Top 100 colleges for Hispanics" list was published May 4. The rankings are posted on the Web at http://www.hispanicoutlook.com/top100.html. For more information regarding the rankings, or to request a May 4 edition of Hispanic Outlook, please contact David Neville, director of information and community relations, at (858) 642-8163.